Potions
by The Dark Knight's Revenge
Summary: Hermione and Malfoy begin to become more aware of each other, but that comes with some interesting consequenses: ink splattered parchment to the face, an interrupted shower, a spilled potion, broom lessons, maybe even a budding romance. Will Malfoy finally ahve the guts to stand up for Hermione's feelings? Or will he be swept aside by another suitor?


Hermione sat at the library late at night, trying to finish her potions essay. Usually, she aced potions with a gleaming cauldron, but this essay had her stumped.

She let out a frustrated sigh, and it echoed around the nearly deserted room, drawing the attention of the other occupant.

"Oi, Granger. Stuck on potions?" Malfoy whispered down the table

"Oh, go swallow your tie..." Hermione growled.

To her annoyance, Draco scooted closer.

"What are the properties of that blasted root again?" He asked, trying to read her essay. Hermione hastily covered it, knocking over her bottle of ink in the process. The onyx liquid spread over the entire table, covering both Hermione and Malfoy's essays.

"Wonderful going... stupid mudblood!" Malfoy yelled, turning bright red in anger. Hermione promptly burst into tears, picking up her bag and the soggy remains of her paper and running out into the corridor.

"Wait! Hermione..." Malfoy called, getting up and running after the bushy-haired Gryffindor.

Out in the hall, Malfoy quickly caught up, grabbing her wrist and spinning her quickly around, causing Hermione to lose her balance and fall into him, putting them into very close proximity.

"I'm sorry that I shouted." Malfoy said before quickly pecking Hermione on the lips and straightening up. Hermione promptly fell on the floor.

Draco scratched his head in surprise, then leaned down to help her up, only to get ink-soaked parchment to the face.

"That's for trying to read my essay." Hermione said haughtily, picking herself up.

"Not for kissing you?" Malfoy asked through a mouthful of ink.

"No." Hermione said. She waved her wand at the remains of her essay. It swooped off the floor and attached itself to Malfoy's face.

"THAT'S for kissing me." She said before sweeping away down the corridor, leaving a disgruntled malfoy trying to peel the parchment off his skin to no avail.

* * *

That night in the prefect's bathroom, Hermione got out of the shower and began scrubbing her skin with her towel, making sure she got all the ink off her body. She looked in the mirror and saw a black smudge right across her lips and gasped, instantly setting in on it with the towel.

She had spent the entire night trying not to think about Malfoy's behavior that day and had been mostly successful. But what in Merlin's name had possessed him to kiss her? It wasn't like there was any glimmer of affection between them, their past animosity outruling any potential for co-existence.

But it wasn't like he was bad to look at... He had decent features, once you got around the gelled hair and cold sneer. On some sub-atomic level, his personality was probably likeable, and he could turn into a ferret. Most girls would want him in a heartbeat.

Hermione sighed. But was she like most girls?

"You missed a spot." Came a voice from the corner. Hermione shrieked and spun around, slipping on the wet tiles and falling hard on her right side.

"Clumsy, clumsy Mudblood." Malfoy said, emerging from the shadows.

"How long have you been there?" Hermione spat venemously.

"Long enough to know that you're a horrible singer." Malfoy replied.

Hermione glared, pulling herself up and clutching her right side, which burned in pain.

"Are you all right? Wouldn't want you to have any broken bones on my behalf." Draco said.

"Drop dead, snake." Hermione growled.

"Mind your manners. It's not like I saw anything, anyways. Not as if there was much to see."

Hermione felt hot tears welling up in her eyes, and she turned away.

"Wait, Granger-"

"It's Hermione. I have a bloody name! You think you can just walk all over me just because my parents are muggles, but you don't seem to realize that I have feelings too! It's not enough that you insult my knowledge and friends on a daily basis, but you come here to the bathroom in the middle of the night to insult my body too! What kind of rat does that make you?" Hermione sobbed.

"I-" Draco began.

"Please, for Merlin's sake... Leave me alone." Hermione whispered.

To her surprise, Draco Malfoy turned around and left through the portrait hole, the door snapping shut behind him.

Hermione watched him go, then sat down on the cold tile, crying softly.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione skipped breakfast to rewrite her potions essay. She managed to finish it before the bell with a minimal amount of tears, but still dragged her feet as she walked down to the dungeon for double potions with Slytherin.

"Oi! Mudblood!" A voice yelled as she walked down the corridor. The voice came from Malfoy's group of friends that were huddled by the dungeon staircase. She tried not to burst into tears.

"Hey Mudblood! I was talking to you!" The voice called again, this time accompanied by boos and hisses from the others in the pack.

Draco Malfoy turned annoyedly to his group.

"Shut up, you lot. She'll get tears in your potion and blow it high heaven."

Everyone's jaw dropped within hearing range, including Hermione's.

"Move along Granger, nothing to see here." Malfoy said lazily, but his eyes were alert and watching, betraying the emotions stirring within. Hermione gave a little gasp and scurried along.

Later in potions, Hermione was paired up with a particularly ugly slytherin referred to as Greers who wasn't as half-witted as he seemed, and was making decent progress on the potion they were assigned.

"Now, we have to let it sit until it turns blue, that's when it ceases to be poisonous. While we wait, make sure not to get it on your skin."

"Whatever, mudblood." The other boy growled. Hermione recoiled.

"You stir it then. See if I care about your safety."

"I will." The Slytherin replied, snatching the ladle out of her hand and beginning to stir the potion.

Draco wandered by.

"Oi Granger, Greers. Have any extra toad?" He asked. Hermione grit her teeth and handed the bowl of toad bits to him.

"Aw, man." Greers said. The sleeve of his robes had dropped into the potion. He pulled his arm up to look at his sleeve, accidentally whipping the potion onto Hermione's outstretched arm. There was a moment of silence, then a sizzling sound and Hermione screamed as is burned her skin.

Professor Snape swept over and waved his wand at Hermione, a sheet of ice forming over the potion burn. Hermione fainted into Draco, who managed to catch her.

"Take Miss Granger to the hospital wing." Snape said, fixing his glare on Greers and ignoring Harry and Ron's protests.

Malfoy had no choice but to pick Hermione up bridal style and head for the hospital wing.


End file.
